Bears Request Interview With Seahawks OC Shane Waldron For Lateral Move

With Pete Carroll no longer manning the head coaching role in Seattle, the Bears have decided to try and lure Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron into their newly vacated position of the same name. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Chicago has requested to interview Waldron for their offensive coordinator position.

Since Carroll is no longer holding the staff in Seattle together, the assistants are now available to seek another job. Most new head coaches in the NFL will prefer to choose their own offensive and defensive coordinators, who in turn prefer to work with their own assistants, thought head coaches can often impact the decision-making for assistant coaches, as well. That being said, the incumbent coordinators and assistant coaches in Seattle are in a precarious position, and Chicago is offering Waldron a chance at a more certain future.

Earlier today, the Bears opted to keep head coach Matt Eberflus but chose to gut the offensive side of the coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. It didn’t take long for general manager Ryan Poles, Eberflus, and company to act on Getsy and Janocko’s potential replacement. Reaching out to Waldron is technically offering him a lateral move, but considering that Waldron’s future is fairly insecure without a head coach in place in Seattle, taking the Chicago job would offer him much more short-term job security.

Now, Seattle’s search to replace Carroll has really yet to begin. As of this moment, only one name has even been rumored as a potential replacement, with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn getting that nod. There’s a chance that Waldron, after coaching the amazing comeback story of quarterback Geno Smith, could get an opportunity to stay in Seattle. There’s even a chance they consider him for head coach, though it would be the first time he’s been considered for a head coaching gig since 2018, when he received an interview request for the Bengals job that would eventually go to his coworker Zac Taylor.

With the development in Seattle being as fresh as it is, there’s lots left to determine. One of those things is the fate of Waldron. If the Seahawks have any desire of keeping him in Washington, they’ll need to act fast, as others in the NFL have already begun to lure him away.